Bhagavad GitaBhagavad Gita 6.35
Chapter 6, verse 35: the Sanskrit, the Roman letters, the meaning and what it is used for.
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते
asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
Meaning
Without doubt, O mighty-armed one, the mind is restless and hard to control; but by practice and detachment, O son of Kunti, it can be held.
Explanation
Arjuna has just said that the mind is as hard to control as the wind. Krishna does not deny it. He agrees that it is hard, and then gives the two tools he will name again and again: abhyasa, steady practice, and vairagya, detachment. A mind that has been trained for a few minutes a day for months is not the same as one that has never been trained.
Where it fits
This is verse 35 of 47 in chapter 6, "The yoga of meditation" (Dhyana Yoga). previous verse (6.34) · next verse (6.36)
Read more on this theme
Related verses
- Bhagavad Gita 2.62
- Bhagavad Gita 2.63
- Bhagavad Gita 4.18
- Bhagavad Gita 6.5
- Bhagavad Gita 6.6
- Bhagavad Gita 6.17
Questions people ask
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.35 mean?
Without doubt, O mighty-armed one, the mind is restless and hard to control; but by practice and detachment, O son of Kunti, it can be held.
Where is this verse?
It is verse 35 of chapter 6 (The yoga of meditation), which has 47 verses.
Meanings and explanations are our own wording, not an authorised translation. Readers of the Gita follow different traditions and teachers; please ask yours about what you read here.